Town Meeting sets stage for Yarmouth vote

YARMOUTH — About 105 of the 7,450 registered voters in Yarmouth attended Tuesday’s Town Meeting and ratified the school and municipal budgets.

Residents approved 27 articles on the meeting warrant, including a $19.5 million school budget that exceeds state Essential Programs and Services by $4.46 million. Residents voted by secret ballot as required by state law, and passed an article allowing the town to exceed the EPS funding cap, 86-7. In a second secret vote, residents voted 76-4 to put $418,000 received from federal stimulus money in a reserve fund for an education tax stabilization fund. The total budget for fiscal year 2010 is $31.2 million, a 0.87 percent increase from this year.

After the 27 articles were passed, the meeting was adjourned until 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, when voters will elect municipal officers, School Committee members and to adopt the school budget as ratified by Town Meeting.

Voting will take place at the AMVETS Hall on North Road from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In addition to voting on the warrant, Mary and Charles Callanan were named Latchstring Award recipients for their service and leadership in the town.

Outgoing Superintendent of Schools Ken Murphy was honored for his 25 years of service. He said it was an honor to be a supporter of the school system in Yarmouth, and could not have done it without support from the members of the School Committee, Town Council, Business Director Carol Kinney and the community.

“It has been an honor to have supported the school system these years,” he said. “I get to work with people on the Town Council and School Committee who are serving to make the community a better place to live.”

In addition, School Committee members Toby Dilworth, head of the Finance Committee, and Tim Wheaton, School Committee chairman, were honored for their six consecutive years on the school committee. Dilworth, Wheaton and Murphy were presented commemorative chairs for their service.